1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus and a method of processing images.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional image reading apparatus such as a network scanner reads the image of an original document, then converts the captured image information into image data in a predetermined data format, and finally transmits the image data to an external apparatus. Such a conventional apparatus may process the captured image signal to reduce the resolution of the image information, convert the image signal from color image to black image, or compress the image information. JP No. 2007-67807A discloses one such apparatus.
Specifically, the apparatus of JP No. 2007-67807A discloses a data transmitting apparatus. The apparatus processes input image data into a user's desired data size. The image data reduced in data size is displayed to the user, allowing the user to customize the data size of the image data while visually checking the data size. Then, the data transmitting apparatus processes the image data in the process specified by the user, thereby reducing the resolution of the image data before transmitting the image data to an external apparatus.
The data transmitting apparatus performs the processing of image data after the user specifies the data conversion. The image data has to undergo various stages of signal processing before the user obtains image data having a desired data size, requiring frequent user intervention as well as making the signal processing more complex.